Disruptive Stages

Jennifer Williams interviews Sharrell D. Luckett, Ph.D., acclaimed theatre director, professor, actor, scholar, and author of the book Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches – a groundbreaking anthology which is the first book to highlight diverse acting and directing methods rooted in Afrocentrism. She is the Director of the Weinberger Center for Drama & Playwriting and professor of Drama and Performance Studies at the Univ...

Jennifer Williams interviews composer Sarah Kirkland Snider. Deemed “one of the decade’s more gifted, up-and-coming modern classical composers” (Pitchfork), “a potentially significant voice on the American music landscape” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “an important representative of 21st century trends in composition” (New York Classical Review), she has received commissions and performances from the New York Philharmonic, San Fran...

Jennifer Williams interviews composer, pianist and educator Niloufar Nourbakhsh – winner of the 2nd Hildegard Competition, recipient of a 2019 Female Discovery Grant from OPERA America, and a founding member and co-director of the Iranian Female Composers Association. We discuss the unwilling hero in her new work, “We the Innumerable;” her new perspectives on the future of technology in music; current developments in Iran’s opera s...

Jennifer Williams interviews performer, teacher and activist Dr. Derrell Acon. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Acon received an Andrew W. Mellon grant for his work on Verdian scholarship and performance. His most recent scholarship on Blacktivism and the power of performance education has been presented around the country, and he is well-known for his groundbreaking work as an activist on the subject matter of race and equity. He also enj...

Jennifer Williams interviews Kamala Sankaram, acclaimed composer of the first Zoom opera (All decisions will be made by consensus) as well as commissions from Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, and Beth Morrison Projects, among many others. The diverse media for which she has written include virtual and augmented reality; multimedia installations; and her operatic Bollywood surf ensemble, Bombay Rickey. We discuss the ...